Page 32 of Love in Focus

But no one answers. Not even Burrito. Celeste and I are completely alone.

“Fuck,” I say underneath my breath.

Behind me, I hear Celeste slip into the apartment, but I don’t look at her. Instead, I check my phone and see two message notifications from the group chat with my friends.

Off to take Burrito for his annual vet visit!Kiara says.

He didn’t pull off a jailbreak, so don’t worry,Val adds.

Both texts were received thirty minutes ago, before Celeste and I even left the coffeeshop. Only, I’d been too distracted by Celeste—and too overwhelmed—to take my eyes off her long enough to check my phone. I’m embarrassed that I hadn’t even thought to look.

To her credit, Celeste doesn’t say anything. She walkspast me to sit on Clementine, and I get the weird feeling of my two worlds merging, like the one I used to get as a kid when I spotted a teacher at Costco. Even though I’m the one that invited Celeste into the apartment, my brain still feels like it’s short-circuiting.

Kiara and Val didn’t yet exist in my life when I met Celeste. And Celeste had long disappeared by the time I’d met my friends. And yet here she is now, quietly checking her phone on Kiara’s sofa. I can tell she’s patiently waiting for me, too polite to comment on the awkward situation I’ve put us in.

I turn around and face my box of belongings so my back is to Celeste. “Let me change really quick, and then I’ll find a clean shirt for you.”

I grab another dress for myself and dash into the bathroom. With the door safely closed behind me, I stand with my back pressed against the wooden surface and let out a slow breath. After a few more quiet inhales and exhales, I change into the dry dress and come back out into the living room.

Celeste looks up from her phone. “Hi,” she says with a small smile.

“Hi,” I reply before whipping back around again.

I search through my things for a shirt that’ll fit Celeste. My clothes all seem too small for her, probably since she’s taller and has wider shoulders.

I know I have a bigger shirt somewhere. I just have to find it.

“Anything will do,” she says after I fling a fourth shirtbehind my shoulder. “Or I can wash my shirt here and dry it if it’s okay—”

“Found it!” I get up on my feet, triumphantly holding up a black, baggy T-shirt.

Celeste scoffs. “How big do you think I am?”

I hear her get up from Clementine and move toward me, but I don’t realize how close she is until I accidentally back into her.

“Whoa there,” she says, gently placing her hands on my arms to steady me. This is the second time today that she’s touched me, and unfortunately, I still can’t get enough.

I’ve never in my life been gladder to be wearing long sleeves, because the heat from her body is enough for my breath to catch. If we were skin to skin, I’d probably combust. Every cell in my body is aching to close the distance between us. Even though we did technically kiss back at the pub, I was too drunk to remember much of it. I want to remember this time, to fully feel every minute sensation of her lips on mine.

Snap out of it!I mentally reprimand myself.

I shove the shirt in her direction so it comes in between our bodies.

“Here,” I say. “I figured you’d want a shirt you can wear without a bra, since the coffee got on it, too.”

I was so one-track minded in my attentiveness that I’m wholly unprepared for how awkwardly my words hang in the space between us.

Finally, Celeste raises an eyebrow. “Oh, so you were looking at my bra?” she asks, her voice low and quiet.

She gets an intense look in her eyes, as if she’s stripping me in her thoughts.

“It was kind of unavoidable,” I explain. “The coffeedidsoak through your shirt.”

Celeste makes a low humming sound, and my eyes drop down to her red lips. My breath hitches, and Celeste’s eyes briefly flutter closed.

“Gem,” she says.

Almost instinctively, I lean forward.

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